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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Homemade Pasta

This past Saturday we made pasta... like homemade pasta noodles. We were in the mood for a pasta dish but didn't want to just eat your basic boxed noodles and jarred sauce. So homemade pasta (and sauce) it was! Keep in mind, we don't have a pasta machine or anything. We did everything by hand. And it really wasn't that hard! Though, you'll probably want to get your manly, strong husband to roll out the dough, because that clearly was not happening by me!

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make
a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture
should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3
to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired
thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width. Dry for about 2 to 3 hours.

To cook the noodles, boil in water for only about 2 to 3 minutes. Homemade noodles finish cooking a lot faster than boxed noodles.

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We doubled the recipe (and ended up having enough leftovers for a whole second meal...). We also did not let the noodles dry for the full 2 to 3 hours. We are too impatient for that and we were hungry! We let them dry for about an hour and they seemed to work out just fine. Also, like I said before... we don't have any fancy pasta making machines, so we hand cut the strips with a pizza cutter and dried the noodles over our two kitchen chairs... yup. Who needs fancy cooking machinery?! Worked just fine!

While the noodles were hanging to dry, Brett made the homemade sauce. His homemade sauce is sooooo good. And here is his lovely demonstration of how he makes the homemade sauce. Please note, you must be very animated or else it won't come out well!

See how he humors me? What a guy. Once you make the sauce and boil up the noodles, it's time to eat! And here is the finished product...!

Yum, it was SO good. Definitely a weekend dinner, since it takes a lot of prep time, but seriously worth it!! Let me know if you try it!